MakeUseOf Directory » Podcasts / Vlogs

ThoughtAudio: Lots of Free Full Audio Books

kaly — Fri, 31 Jul 2009 23:30:48 +0000

If you are looking for downloadable audio books, ThoughtAudio.com is a good place to start. It lists lots of free full audio books. The collection consist of books from classic literature, history and philosophy, and includes well known titles such as The Call of the Wild, Sidhartha, Metamorphosis… etc. You can browse books, listen to them online and download the ones you like as an mp3 file.

Features:

Download free online audio books in MP3 format.
Download as many book as you like.
Browse books and listen online.
Free and no registration.
Paid account that provides Ziped downloadss also available.
Similar sites: NewFiction, WellToldTales, PodioBooks and LibriVox.

Check out ThoughtAudio @ www.thoughtaudio.com

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ThoughtAudio: Lots of Free Full Audio Books

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RSSHandler: Convert Youtube RSS to Podcast

abhijeet — Mon, 27 Jul 2009 01:11:43 +0000

Although each Youtube channel has its own RSS feed and you can subscribe to it easily in any RSS reader, the RSS feed items come as embedded flash players. That means it’s great if you want to view them on the Internet with some online feed reader, but it is not ok for offline viewers who want to view them later without connection to Internet.

RSSHandler is an RSS to podcast converter that aims to solve this problem by converting Youtube RSS feeds to FLV, MP4 and other such computer/mobile friendly formats. You can also get links to YouTube as FLV and MP4 to download videos to your computer or mobile phone via Nokia Mobile Code or short links.

Features

Convert Youtube video feeds to FLV, MP4 or PSP format.
Get Nokia Mobile code for the link to easily copy to your mobile.
Convert Youtube channels, favorites and playlists using this tool.
Subscribe to the converted feed in podcast reader to listen to them.
Similar sites: YouTubePodcaster.

Check out RSSHandler @ www.rsshandler.com/converter (by Abhijeet from Jeet Blog)

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RSSHandler: Convert Youtube RSS to Podcast

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Chirbit: Record Audio Clips & Share Online

abhijeet — Tue, 07 Jul 2009 00:51:42 +0000

Chirbit is a neat web based app which enables you to record audio clips or sound bites ( as they call them ) online and share with your friends on social networks. Recorded audios can also be download onto your computer.

If you don’t feel like recording then you can upload existing MP3 or a WAV files and share them instead. There is also a new feature in private beta which allows users to upload voice memos from iPhone.

Features

Record, upload and share audio clips.
Use a webcam or microphone to record online.
Upload and share existing MP3 or WAV file.
Share clips through Twitter and Facebook easily.
Similar app: Vocaroo.

Check out Chirbit @ www.chirbit.com (by Abhijeet from Jeet Blog)

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Chirbit: Record Audio Clips & Share Online

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PodShifter: Speed Up Podcasts For Faster Play

kaly — Fri, 26 Jun 2009 03:47:56 +0000

Ever subscribed to a podcast where presenter talked really slow? There are countless of podcasts on the web that would be considerably better if they were presented faster. Same applies to the audio books narrated by a really slow reader. And that’s exactly where PodShifter can help. It can easily make podcasts up to 2 or even 3 times faster.

To speed up a podcast or any other audio feed simply enter its RSS feed, set how much faster/slow you want it to make (from 0.6x to 3x) and hit on the “shift it” button. The application will process you request and give a new revised feed from where you can hear the speed-up version.

Features:

Speed up slow-paced podcasts and audio books.
Speed up as many podcasts as you like.
Customize speed: From 0.6 times upto 3 times.
Works on almost on any RSS feed.
Free, no sign-up required.

Check out PodShifter @ www.podshifter.com (via LH Australia)

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PodShifter: Speed Up Podcasts For Faster Play

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NewFiction: Really Cool Free Audio Books Site

kaly — Tue, 25 Nov 2008 03:27:44 +0000

NewFiction brings you new generation audio books. Here you can freely subscribe to a variety of cool iSoaps (new type of audio books similar to old-time serial radio dramas) and listen to them online. The site takes original stories and dramatizes them with voices of dedicated actors and actresses.

You can play episodes online, get it as podcast and play it in your feedreader, or download play episodes on your portable device (iPod, cell phone, or PDA device)

Moreover, site lets you interact with other users, meet new people and discuss your favorite iSoaps. And if you have writing, artistic or musical skills, NewFiction invites you to submit your own work or collaborate on current projects. If they like your works they might even help you to produce and promote it.

Features:

Subscribe and listen to iSoaps (audio books) online
Get iSoaps delivered via web, podcast, or email.
Play audio books on your computer, iPod, cell phone, or PDA device.
Interact with other users and disscuss your favorite iSoaps.
Submit your own stories.

Check out NetFiction @ www.newfiction.com

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NewFiction: Really Cool Free Audio Books Site

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OneMinuteLanguages: Quick Language Podcasts

kaly — Thu, 13 Nov 2008 03:30:58 +0000

OneMinuteLanguages gives your free podcasts to learn basics phrases from a dozen of popular languages. You can learn words used for greetings, numbers and counting, how to say that you don’t understand something etc. Basically, a bunch of basic phrases.

Currently the sites offers podcasts for 12 different languages: Catalan, Danish, French, German, Irish, Japanese, Luxembourgish, Mandarin, Norwegian, Polish, Romanian and Russian. For each language you get about 10 short easy-to-digest podcasts.

Features:

Learn basics phrases for 12 languages (mostly European languages).
You will get 10 free couple of minute long podcasts for each language.
More languages will be added in the future.
Premium option with more features also available
No sign up or registration needed.

Check out OneMinuteLanguages @ www.oneminutelanguages.com

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OneMinuteLanguages: Quick Language Podcasts

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YouTubePodcaster: Convert YouTube Results to MP4 Podcast Feeds

kaly — Tue, 19 Aug 2008 01:58:14 +0000

YouTubePodcaster lets you create a podcast feed from YouTube search results. The feed will contain YouTube videos with all videos converted to the MP4 file format. This means you can subscribe to these feeds using your favorite RSS reader, iTunes player and even play they videos on your iPod.

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Features:

Create podcast feeds from submitted YouTube URL.
Create as many podcast feeds as you like.
All videos are converted to the MP4 file format.
Subscribe to these feeds using RSS reader or your iTunes player.
No sign up or registration needed.

See demo video below:

Youtube Podcaster converts Youtube search results to MP4 format but what about converting the videos to MP3 audio tracks. If that sounds something you might be interested in see FLVto, VidToMP3 and Vmeste.fr.

Go to YouTube Podcaster @ www.vixy.net/podcaster

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YouTubePodcaster: Convert YouTube Results to MP4 Podcast Feeds

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ReadTheWords : Convert Text Documents to Speech

kaly — Fri, 28 Mar 2008 20:01:32 +0000

ReadTheWord can convert text to speech and then read it out for you. It can read from text directly, text documents (PDF, MS Word, HTML ETC.), web pages and RSS feeds. The conversion is quite fast and takes about 1 minute to generate 1 hour long recording. There are also several voice characters to choose from. To get started simply copy’n paste (or upload) the text, select your reader and you’re ready to listen. Want recording on your iPod? No problem, you can download your readings in several formats and play them on pretty much any device.

Features:

Convert text material to speech.
Convert as many text files as you like.
Supported text sources: PDF, MS Word, HTML, Text file, web page and RSS feeds.
Download and play your text recording on computer, iPod or other mp3 player.
Reading speed: Adjust reader’s speed before you create a recording.
English, Spanish and French languages supported.
14 voices characters to choose from.
Embed ready recordings onto your blog or website.
Very fast text to speech conversion.
For more details check out ReadTheWord FAQ page.

Visit ReadTheWords @ [ www.readthewords.com ]

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ReadTheWords : Convert Text Documents to Speech

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CoverItLive : Live Blogging for your Website

Aibek — Tue, 08 Jan 2008 18:50:17 +0000

CoverItLive is a well-implemented, easy-to-use and feature-rich live blogging service that allows you to stream live commentary onto your web pages or blog so your readers can follow you in real time. In addition to commentary you can also post polls, youtube videos, images, get real-time reader feedback, accept questions from viewers, monitor poll votes, etc. Extremely useful for live coverage of events, conferences, interviews etc. By far the best live-publishing application so far. Free.

CoverItLive Features

Post real-time text commentary, add polls, instantly embed Youtube videos, images from Google, publish ads, etc.
Viewers can ask questions and vote on polls in real-time.
Once your live blog is complete, the embedded Viewer Window instantly converts itself into an Instant Replay. If some of the readers missed it live they can always read the live blog later (see below).
Readers are not required to download anything to watch your live blog.
For liveblog publishers: To be able to use CoveritLive you must have either IE (ver. 6 or higher) or Firefox (ver. 2 or higher) browser.

CoverItLive – MakeUseOf test

Check out CoverItLive “@ www.coveritlive.com

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CoverItLive : Live Blogging for your Website

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SplashCast: Create Your Own Online TV Channels

Aibek — Sat, 25 Aug 2007 22:51:33 +0000

Splashcast is a powerful web-based application that lets anyone create and publish online channels out of videos, photos, documents, presentations, audio recordings and Rich Media RSS feeds (i.e., Youtube feeds, podcasts, etc.). It takes some time to get used to, but totally worth it.

How it works:

Create a show -> Add show to one of your channels -> Add channel to a customizable Splashcast player -> Embed SplashCast player onto your blog, website or profile page.

Each Splashcast channel can consists of one or several shows. A show can be composed from:

Audio (grab from URL, upload from PC, …)
Images (grab from URL, upload from PC, get from Flickr account, Facebook profile, ….)
Video (grab from URL, upload from PC, Record online, …)
Text (PowerPoint, PDF, …)
Rich Media RSS feed (Flickr photo feeds, Youtube videos feeds, podcasts, …)

To get an idea on how you can make use of Splashcast, browse through existing Splashcasts Channels here, or see one right below.

SplashCast in Action:

The channel below hosts a bunch of auto-updated Tech podcasts. Click on the podcast of your choice to view the latest episode.

Splashcast Introduction and Demo:

Check out Splashcast @ [www.splashcast.net]

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SplashCast: Create Your Own Online TV Channels

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TalkShoe: Live Talk Shows and Conference Calls

Aibek — Thu, 23 Aug 2007 12:51:08 +0000

TalkShoe is an online service that allows anyone to create, host, join, or listen to live interactive talk shows and discussions. Create and schedule live multi-person conference talks, and invite interested people to join as participants or listeners.

TalkShoe Features

Create group podcasts with up-to 250 active participants and unlimited number of listeners.
Participants can join via telephone, Skype, or directly from the TalkShoe website.
Request-to talk queuing.
Who is talking indications.
Record live episodes and store them on Talkshoe.
Integrated chat room for live text messaging.
Use TalkShoe widget to embed podcasts to your blog or website (displays recorded, upcoming and live episodes).
Browse recorded shows by categories (News, Music, Business, Comedy) and type (live, recorded).
Explore more features and details here.

[Video] TalkShoe Virtual Tour

Go to TalkShoe @ (www.talkshoe.com)

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TalkShoe: Live Talk Shows and Conference Calls

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WebbAlert : Your Daily Tech RoundUp

Aibek — Fri, 17 Aug 2007 13:18:18 +0000

Excellent daily tech show featuring latest news from the tech and web world. WebbAlert is recommended by some of the most authoritative tech sources on the web so definitely check it out.

- Embed single or latest (automatic) episodes on blog or website. See demo below.
- Browse complete episode history via archives.
- Subcribe to shows via: RSS, iTunes, email, etc.
- Supplementary list of links (references / sources) below each episode.

Latest Web Alert Episode

Go to WebAlert (www.webbalert.com/)

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WebbAlert : Your Daily Tech RoundUp

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Gabcast: Record Podcasts from Mobile Phone

Aibek — Thu, 16 Aug 2007 12:52:17 +0000

Gabcast lets you record and publish audio podcasts directly from your phone. In addition to audioblogging there are several ways you can ‘make use of’ it. Your can use it to (1) describe an item for sale on eBay and embed recorded description on the product page, (2) communicate with employees and team mates, (3) distribute assignments or notes (audio) to a group of people, etc.

“Gabcast.com is a podcasting and audioblogging platform that offers an easy way to create and distribute audio content.”

Gabcast Features

Publish podcasts directly from your phone (or using your PC).
Automatically share your recordings with others by embedding Gabcast player into your website/blog.
Let others subscribe to your shows via RSS feeds.
Users are able to download MP3 version of any recorded episode.
Browse through all published Gabcast shows by category (Arts, Business, Comedy, Technology, ..), by popularity (Hot Channels), etc.
Free account is limited to 200 MB of storage space.
More information and dial-in numbers available in the video below or here.

Creating an Audio Podcast with Gabcast

Audio Blogging with Gabcast

Go to Gabcast (www.gabcast.com)

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Gabcast: Record Podcasts from Mobile Phone

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SpringDoo

Aibek — Wed, 08 Aug 2007 14:34:00 +0000

Lets you (1) Send/Receive video messages by email, (2) Embed recorded videos elsewhere on the web, and (3) Create and broadcast your own web channel. SpringDoo consists of four different services: SpringMail, SpringBlog, SpringCast, and SpringMob. Read more below …

Basic Overview

SpringMail: Send video/audio voice messages via email.
SpringBlog: Record and embed videos on your blog, website or web profile (MySpace, Facebook, Friendster, etc.)
SpringCast: Create and Broadcast your own web channel. Comes with an embeddable widget that lets viewers follow-up on videos, subscribe to them, reply, etc. from anywhere on the web.
SpringMob: Post video/audio messages to your SpingCast channel directly from your mobile

Check out SpringDoo (http://www.springdoo.com/)

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THE 9

kaly — Wed, 08 Aug 2007 13:33:04 +0000

THE 9 show is a daily-updated (apart from weekends) video blog from Yahoo TV, presented by never boring hottie Maria Sansone. Every day from Monday to Friday THE 9 presents Top 9 picks from the web.

After each show, you can vote on the best news item of the day and recommend something for future episodes. Additionally, you can check out show episodes from the past.

Visit THE 9 http://9.yahoo.com/

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WellToldTales

Aibek — Sun, 05 Aug 2007 22:17:01 +0000

WellToldTales is a podcast-like service that delivers entertaining audio tales on a twice-weekly basis.

The Well Told Tales podcast brings you original short stories in the sci-fi, horror and hardboiled genres. Think of them as audiobooks, only shorter — 15 to 35 minutes, the perfect length for your commute, workout, whatever.

Features:

New stories are released on the the first and 15th of the month (or thereabouts.)
Listen to stories online or download them to your PC, iPod, etc.
Sunsbdcribe via iTunes
Monitor new stories via RSS
Comment-on/rate stories

Go to WellToldTales (http://www.welltoldtales.com/)

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RocketBoom

kaly — Sat, 04 Aug 2007 00:02:02 +0000

Popular video blog, publishing 3-4 min. video clips at 9am (Eastern Time) daily excluding weekends. Clips cover some particular news item, something popular on the web or a story suggested by users. Show is hosted by fun hottie Joanne Colan.

- Videos available in several formats (Quicktine, iTunes, HD- high definition, wmv, etc.)
- See all shows from the past here

See one of the previous episodes (07/30/2007)

Visit RocketBoom

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Pyro.tv

Aibek — Mon, 23 Jul 2007 14:10:18 +0000

Pyro.tv is a web-based entertainment network featuring several popular Videoblogs (aka Vlogs) and Podcasts (Diggnation, Rocketboom, etc.) and some more.

Features:

Browse featured channels + ‘Most Popular’ section
Subscribe to favorite channels (via RSS)
Browse channels by category (TV & Film, Music, Culture, Tech, Sports, Business, etc.)
Create custom personal channels and share them with others by embedding it on your website, blog or web profile

Visit Pyro.tv

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Pyro.tv

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PodioBooks

Aibek — Sat, 21 Jul 2007 11:35:04 +0000

Search and browse through a variety of totally free and 100% legal audio books.

Features:

Download or stream any books. Get favorite books on your iPod
Browse books by categories (Fiction, History, Horror, Mystery, Science-fiction etc)
Browse by popularity (Daily or Monthly Top 10, Overall Top rated etc)
Subscribe to receive updates on all OR for the selected book (daily, weekly etc)

Visit: PodioBooks

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Revision3

Aibek — Thu, 19 Jul 2007 12:37:50 +0000

Revision3 works as a TV network for the web and is a showcase (stream and download) for original entertainment content that it itself creates/produces. Among the various shows that it helped co-create is extremely popular Diggnation.

Features:

Content on the shows are primarily about technology with a couple of shows focusing on pure comedy, music and cooking
Shows available almost in all popular video formats and platforms (iTunes, Odeo, Bittorrent, Palm etc)

Visit: Revision3

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Pluggd

Aibek — Mon, 25 Jun 2007 23:49:15 +0000

Huge podcast directory featuring thousands of web-podcasts and vlogs (video blogs).

Features:

Browse podcasts by popularity, tags, or category (Arts, Comedy, Music, Health, Technology etc.)
Excellent feature to search for text within podcasts. Check it out here
Subscribe, Share and listen to favorite podcasts online
Create and Share show playlists
and more …

Visit: Pluggd (http://www.pluggd.com/)

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Pluggd

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